NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party plans to take up with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the case of ill-treatment of Hindu Malaysians and people of Indian origin in Malaysia.
On Thursday, the party’s senior leader adopted a resolution urging the government to take up this issue seriously “at the highest level” and demand “immediate reversal” of Malaysia’s policy towards people of Indian origin.
Waytha Moorthy, chairman of the Hindu Rights Action Force in Malaysia, called on Leader of the Opposition L.K Advani in his room in Parliament House where several senior BJP leaders were present. He apprised them of the difficulties faced by the Indian ethnic group of Malaysians, saying they had been “marginalised and “persecuted.”
The allegation was that thousands of Hindu temples had been demolished in Malaysia since its independence 50 years ago; this had stripped the Hindus of their dignity and self-respect; there was an attempt to “Islamise” Malaysia’s non-Muslim population; and the Shariah Court’s rulings were being made binding on non-Muslims, especially in cases of inter-faith marriages and related to religious identity of children born in such marriages.
All these issues were discussed at the meeting and the BJP then adopted a resolution condemning “persecution of Hindus and PIOs in Malaysia.” Party spokesperson V.K. Malhotra later told reporters that the BJP would take up this issue with the Prime Minister.
(the Hindu 7 Dec 2007)
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